Hospital patient, 51, still missing; family loses hope

Monday

Sep 30, 2013 at 8:46 PM

By Jean-Paul ArguelloStaff Writer

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office is still searching for a mental patient who left Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma Sept. 13, but his family has lost hope he is still alive.Elroy Neville , 51, 134 King St., suffers from frequent seizures, said Mira Neville, Elroy's 53-year-old sister. He was admitted to the hospital after having a seizure Sept. 12 and left the next day.Callers said they spotted Elroy Neville on Denley Road in the Ashland North subdivision, but police have been unable to find him.Elroy Neville was spotted heading in the direction of a wooded area behind the subdivision by two teenage boys and taped by a camera on American Boulevard, Mira Neville said.On a daily basis, the Water Patrol Search and Rescue was searching the large, swampy area that is thick with vegetation, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Dawn Foret."We haven't received any tips," Foret said. "The search team is searching sporadically."Mira Neville said she believes the search has been called off."I talked to the detective last Thursday," she said. "They stopped the search last Wednesday."Foret said that is not true and "it will remain an active investigation until he's found."Elroy Neville runs when he has seizures, his sister said."When he goes into a seizure, he takes off running without knowing where he is going," she said. "He doesn't know where he's running to. He just takes off."Elroy Neville suffers from seizures as a result of previous drug use but does not use drugs anymore, Mira Neville said. Elroy Neville would chain his leg to the bed when he went to sleep to keep himself from running away, she said. About three months ago, he had a seizure in his sleep and he "went straight through the window." "He's always hurting himself, so that's why he put the chain on his leg," Mira Neville said.Mira Neville said hospital staff are familiar with her brother's condition and normally restrain him to the bed when he is admitted for seizures."(The family members) wonder why they didn't keep an eye on him," she said. "That Friday, he didn't have a restraint."When Elroy Neville is not having seizures, he is normal."He just sits outside and listens to his music," his sister said. "He loves his music."After more than two weeks without a sign of Elroy, the Nevilles have lost hope that he will be found alive."We know he's not alive," Mira Neville said. "We just want some closure that they at least find the body."The greatest dangers in the area are insects, sharp bushes and water moccasins, said Paul Yakupzack, refuge manager at the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, which is a few miles southwest of the wooded area where Elroy Neville was last seen."The mosquitos and the deer flies are really bad right now," he said. "They'd probably be worse than the snakes and coyotes."Without good boots, the briar and palmetto bushes are a fairly significant danger, he added."It's got to be miserable out there," Yakupzack said. "It's a pretty harsh environment out there."Neville is 5 feet, 11 inches and weighs about 200 pounds, said Maj. Malcolm Wolfe of the Terrebonne Sheriff's Office.He was wearing a hospital gown, socks, and underwear when he left the hospital, Mira Neville said.Anyone who spots Neville or knows his whereabouts is asked to call 876-2500.

Staff Writer Jean-Paul Arguello can be reached at 448-7617 or at jean-paul.arguello@dailycomet.com.